Neuropsychological Treatment After Brain Injury (foundations Of Neuropsychology)

DAVID W. ELLIS AND ANNE-LISE CHRISTENSEN 1 A BRIEF OVERVIEW In the past, most people who sustained catastrophic brain injury died. However, over the past several decades, sophisticated medical diagnostic techniques such as computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), along with advances in emergency trauma procedures and neurosurgical pro­ cedures (e. g., intracranial pressure monitoring), have dramatically increased the survival rates for people who have survived such trauma. At the same time, because of population growth, the number of victims of brain trauma (primarily automobile accidents) has also risen [1]. As a result of their injuries, many of these people have developed severe disabilities that affect their lives and the lives of everyone around them. For those who survive, and their families, mere survival is not enough. Attention must be paid to the quality of their lives after the traumatic event. During the past 15 years, there has been an increasing focus on the develop­ ment of treatment techniques for brain injuries. Although the principal focus of this text is on the neuropsychological (i. e., neurological and psychological) aspects of treatment-both theory and technique-the book is also directed towards the broad variety of issues that affect survivors, their families, health­ care professionals, and the social milieu. Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction....Pages 1-11 Front Matter....Pages 13-13 Brain Injury: A Pathophysiological Basis for Neuropsychological Dysfunction....Pages 15-38 Issues in Behavioral Neurology and Brain Injury....Pages 39-90 Psychopharmacological Agents in the Treatment of Brain Injury....Pages 91-104 Traumatic Brain Injury and the Rehabilitation Process: A Psychiatric Perspective....Pages 105-125 The Neuropsychological Investigation as a Therapeutic and Rehabilitative Technique....Pages 127-153 Front Matter....Pages 155-155 Interventions in the Inpatient Setting....Pages 157-181 Residential Treatment....Pages 183-219 Concepts in Day Programming....Pages 221-237 Front Matter....Pages 239-239 Neuropsychotherapy....Pages 241-269 Structured Group Treatment for Brain-Injury Survivors....Pages 271-295 Long-Term Family Intervention....Pages 297-316 Management of Aggressive Behavior Following Traumatic Brain Injury....Pages 317-360 Front Matter....Pages 361-361 Professional Issues in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation....Pages 363-377 Legal Issues that Commonly Confront Brain-Injury Survivors and their Families....Pages 379-407 Back Matter....Pages 409-420